Volumer Six: Brave New World
by wsand
Summary: One year later, and there are countless riots, deaths, and protests around the world. Follow Peter, Claire, Emma, Sylar, Tracy, Matt, Hiro, and Ando as they learn to navigate this brave new world.


Peter Petrelli & Noah Bennet

New York City

Peter and Noah grabbed their beers awkwardly, ignoring the bustle of the bar around them. Noah sipped eagerly, bringing the bottle down from his mouth and silently burping before they readied up for their conversation.

"So…" Peter began.

"So…" Noah affirmed, smiling smugly.

"Before we get to whatever you're here for, if you're here for something…how are you, Noah?" Peter asked empathetically. Noah chuckled, barely containing in his mouth some beer, and gulping it down.

"Well, I'm a unemployed divorced man in his fifties, and that about sums it up." Peter cringed at Noah's openness, something he'd rarely seen from the cunning man. It was hard for him to look at Noah and not get the feeling that his life was about to change. "But things are alright…"

"Do you talk to Claire?" Peter continued at the false summation of Noah's life.

"Yeah…we talk. Sometimes, but she's busy a lot."

"Not with the things you'd think an eighteen-year-old would be, huh?"

"No…not at all, but she's a big girl. She can make her own decisions," Noah replied another beer gulp later before motioning for another one to the waitress. "But how are _you?_"

"Great", Peter explained confidently. "Me and Emma just moved into an rent-control apartment…cool, exciting stuff like that." Peter said this in spite of the past two years of his life, chuckling.

"It's been a year now, huh?"

"Yeah…she's great."

Another beer slid unto the table as Peter finished half of his, and another awkward silence set in. It felt a lot like there was so much that could be said, but would rather be understood. Peter felt a twinge of pity for Noah, sitting with his loose tie and tired face across from him.

"So you're not working?" Peter asked.

"No…let's just say I'm really bored."

"That's never good", Peter joked.

"Hopefully this time, it will be", Noah contradicted. Peter's smile slid off and he felt the strong urge to walk out, to be done with this whole thing. He wanted to clock back in, save lives and go back to Emma tonight. Watch TV. Make dinner. Forget about the reminder sitting in front of him.

"You're a good person, Peter", Noah started. "Take a look at this", he said, pulling out a briefcase and slipping out a file folder. He thumbed through it quickly, removing a single file and placing it in front of Peter.

JEREMY GREER.

Peter opened the file, and flipped through photos of a mutilated body, arrest warrants, police reports, and new articles. The entire thing disgusted him, and he ceased the horror and threw the file on table.

"Why, Bennet?" Peter asked, annoyed.

"You remember him?"

"The kid from Georgia…he died?" Peter asked. Noah nodded with yet another sip.

"Yup…the police took him out back, chained him to a truck and dragged him two blocks…because he had an ability. Because he was different. Because he was scared", Bennet explained, seeming to gather up some divine confidence. Peter was still annoyed, wondering what the point to this was.

"So why are you telling me?"

"Because, Peter, since day one I've tracked people like him. Like you. For decades, and I've gotten nothing from it because all I ever did was interfere and manipulate. I'm tired of it." Noah was looking down, almost shamefully and Peter glared at him, waiting for his eyes to meet Noah's. "And ever since then…I've tried to keep my family safe", Noah continued, and Peter swore he heard tearing up in his voice. "I've felt that it would…redeem me, to protect those around me and all it did was push them away. But not anymore."

"Why are you here, Noah?" Peter asked softly after a short silence. Yeah, TV and Emma sounded great right about now.

"I want to help people. Specials", Noah released, raising his eyes to Peter's. The tearing up had subsided and resolve now twinkled in his eye. It scared Peter a bit. He watched Noah swig another gulp of beer.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…find them, guide them, assist them, whatever they need us to do to make their journey easier. I want them to understand. I want a Company 2.0, and I want it to work."

"Noah, anything like that, with the Company, is not going to work", Peter stated solemnly. Noah's inspiration was genuine, Peter could sense that much. Peter had a strange affection for Noah, but there was a part of him that still knew what he was capable of. Deceit. Death. So on.

"We can make it work."

"How?"

"No technology. No lying. No headquarters. No confinement. Just finding people like you and Claire, and guiding them. Letting them know what they are and what they can do", Noah stated resolutely. Certainly, a lot of thought has been put into this. "In today's situation, I figure it's exactly what people need." Peter was heartbroken. He knew Noah wanted to help, but he also knew Noah. Something inside was telling Peter that that wasn't the only reason he was being apathetic about this idea.

"I don't know…"

"Peter, I need your help."

"Why me?" Peter asked.

"Because you're you. You're empathetic. You're kind. You're gentle. You know how to talk to people. You know how to comfort people. You know how to connect. You're powerful, and I don't mean just your ditto trick. I mean you're personality. It's exactly what people need", Bennet explained. Peter hung on the fence, keeping a face of stone and trying to block out the noisiness of the bar.

"Peter, your mother kept you in the dark for so long, you and your brother. You guys were confused and alone. I'm not going to be people's Angela if I don't need to be. I can make a difference. I want to. Do you remember when you first were finding all of this?" Peter flipped his hair to the side.

"Yeah."

"How dedicated you were. You stopped New York City from exploding. You saved millions of lives, you saved the world. You stopped the virus from being released in Odessa. You stopped your father from making abilities a new street drug. You stopped Sylar and the government from destroying people like you. You stopped Samuel from destroying people like them. In all of this, you knew you were meant for something greater." Bennet ceased talking and Peter snapped from his dream-like state, feeling as if he just walked off the screen of a drama movie and into real life. "What happened to that?"

"I have a life now, Bennet", Peter said. "And I just don't think this whole thing is my battle." Bennet looked down again. Both felt exhausted at that moment.

"Listen Peter, no ulterior motives. No deception. Just people helping people. Me and you."

"It's never that black and white, Noah, you know that better than I do", Peter relayed. Bennet grinned.

"Just think about it, OK?" he asked earnestly. Sipping a last gulp of beer, he made his way from the chair, swooning a little, before slipping on his overcoat. "It was nice seeing you, Peter", he added after walking a little ways away and looking back. Peter nodded.

"I'll talk to you later Bennet."


End file.
